Of Fire and Night

The destruction of the Earth, and indeed humanity, seems at hand. How do we react against such darkness, as we all turn against each other? A well-written book that continues KJA's epic space opera.

Chances are that if you've read volumes 1-4 you will be pleased with Fire and Night. It may be the most action filled of the 5 so far and certainly contains no shortage of plot resolutions and additions. My only minor disappointment was that the two big, new plot introductions were done at the very end of the volume with little time to rev them up in preparation for the next book. Also, at least one of these seemed like kind of a silly reach to me. Perhaps I'll be proven wrong. I am very interested to see how the author continues the various story arcs without it becoming an instance of "just one damn thing after another".

This book really kicks in the series and starts it heading towards the grand finale. KJA has made an epic series and universe. I love the deep character development in the series, and KJA also makes an interesting story. If you're looking for a series with rich characters, exciting action, and something unique, then the Saga is right up your ally!

Another great book (5th) in the series by Kevin Anderson. While the series takes a bit to get going, in that you're introduced to a lot of different plot lines immediately, by this time they're all easy to follow. The thing I like most about this series is STUFF ACTUALLY HAPPENS. There are many other multi-book series where when you finish a book you feel like not much has happened even though you just read 600 pages. Not so with The Saga of Seven Suns. This fifth book, in my opinion, harbors the most change from start to finish, and left me amazed at where he's taken the story. Anderson isn't afraid to shake up the plot into entirely new directions, or to kill off characters where it makes sense...

*** SEE THE INTERVIEW WITH KEVIN J. ANDERSON ON THE WUAT WEBSITE! *** The Ildiran Empire is about to betray the human race. In a Faustian deal, hydrogues have pledged not to exterminate the Mage-Imperator's people, as long as they help destroy all of humanity. On Earth, the Terran Hansa is crumbling. King Peter and Queen Estarra are mere figureheads, and the real leader, the Chairman, grows more erratic by the hour. Terrified for the safety of their unborn child, and the Hansa at large, the King and Queen must find a way to survive. Two elemental forces, the verdani (sentient forest) and wentals (sentient water) are drawn together in an awesome merging of power, while the unpredictable faeros (sentient fire beings) hassle the hydrogues. In an unholy alliance, the hydrogues and Klikiss robots move forward in their plans to eradicate "rock dwellers." The robots have succeeded in infesting the Hansa's space fleet with the deadly soldier compies. Entire grids of the fleet may be lost. Betrayal, subterfuge, and espionage may give way to hope if humanity can pull itself together. After the ruthless measures taken by the Hansa military against outlying colony worlds, the mysterious Roamers, as well as the lack of aid to other allies, planet Earth is in grave danger. Can Hansa "allies" and victims forgive the corrupt government in time to help save the birthplace of humanity? If not, all is lost. By maintaining the high standard of writing for which he is known, Kevin J. Anderson continues to thrill and astonish readers with the fifth installment of The Saga of Seven Suns. Many "epic" series tend to lull after a few novels, but this Saga thrusts forward in ever-changing ways. While some events are somewhat predictable--perhaps intentionally--there are enough surprises to sustain the level of tension necessary to pull the reader through. There are a few threads of the tale that will either not make sense, or will seem out of character for a while. Don't let that fool you. Press on, because even though you may think you know what will happen, you don't. After reading this novel, only two questions remain. The first is whether Anderson can finish out this series with the same caliber of storytelling. One would have to read to the end of this book in order to understand the full impact of this question--to say more would be to spoil a spectacular ending. The Saga is not over by a long shot, but Anderson has a lot to live up to. The other question: Do we really have to wait another year for the next installment?! Reviewed by Christina Wantz Fixemer 6/21/2006